The shells of gopher tortoise hatchlings are yellow, but they take on a darker color as they mature.
Gopher tortoises are herbivores. They consume a very wide range of plants, but mainly eat broad-leaved grasses, wiregrass, and legumes.[4][5] They also eat mushrooms[4], as well as fruits such as gopher apple, pawpaw, blackberries, and saw palmetto berries.[5] In addition, gopher tortoises eat flowers from the genera Cnidoscolus (nettles), Tillandsia (Spanish and ball moss), Richardia, and Dyschoriste.[3] Juvenile tortoises tend to eat more legumes, which are higher in protein, and fewer grasses which are tough. They eat more fibrous plants than mature tortoises.[3] Gopher tortoises have been known to scavenge carrion and eat excrement.[6] As gopher tortoises usually get water from the food they eat, they usually only drink standing water in times of extreme drought.[7]
Gopher tortoise
Notes
Diet
Gopher tortoises are herbivores. They consume a very wide range of plants, but mainly eat broad-leaved grasses, wiregrass, and legumes.[4][5] They also eat mushrooms[4], as well as fruits such as gopher apple, pawpaw, blackberries, and saw palmetto berries.[5] In addition, gopher tortoises eat flowers from the genera Cnidoscolus (nettles), Tillandsia (Spanish and ball moss), Richardia, and Dyschoriste.[3] Juvenile tortoises tend to eat more legumes, which are higher in protein, and fewer grasses which are tough. They eat more fibrous plants than mature tortoises.[3] Gopher tortoises have been known to scavenge carrion and eat excrement.[6] As gopher tortoises usually get water from the food they eat, they usually only drink standing water in times of extreme drought.[7]